The Dark Lord's Pet
by Arana'a
Summary: Esmeralda potter didn't ask to be changed into a cat. she just wished to be free from all the troubles of being the Girl Who Lived. now she has to face being the Dark lords pet cat, along with all the duties that come with it, like ripping up his reports. Fem harry! rated for later chapters.
1. Prologue

**i know that this has been done before, but i wanted to put my own twist on things.**

**disclaimer: i don't own anything, except the plot!**

Tom Riddle looked out of the window, into the pouring rain. He could hear the thunder rumbling faintly, and he saw the occasional flash of lightning. This really was a day for sitting in front of the fire with a hot cup of coffee and a good book. Turning away, he summoned a house elf, giving it orders for a hot cup of coffee. After the creature had popped away, he summoned his book and settled into the armchair that was seated in front of the fire.

Just as he had gotten comfortable, he felt a shift in the wards. He groaned in annoyance. There was something magical out front, and he wasn't going to get any peace until he investigated. Out in the pouring rain.

He dressed in a pair of loose pants and a shirt. If he was going to get wet, he might as well do it properly.

Once out in the rain he started to search, hoping to merlin that there would be a clue or something that he could use. He stopped suddenly, listening hard. He could have sworn he heard something. There it was, a yowl. He growled in frustration. A cat?! He was here for a cat! Swearing a blue steak, he set off in the direction of the sound hoping that there was something else out there.

He came to the pond Narcissa had insisted on putting there, and saw a black cat standing on a stone set in the centre of the pond. The cat saw him and went quiet, a small meow sounding, hoping he would get the hint. Swearing, he started to wade into the pond glaring at the sodden creature. Once he was close enough, the cat leapt for him, latching it's claws onto his shirt. He automatically put his arms around it, and felt it start to shake. He sent a thought tendril out to the wards, and discovered that the creature in his arms was the intruder. Glaring at the cat, he set off for the house.


	2. i wish to be a cat?

**here's esmeralda's side of it! hope you like it!**

Esmeralda POV

Esmeralda Potter wasn't in bed. In fact, she was wandering down in the dungeons brooding. She was currently trying to find her sleep, although she suspected she wouldn't find it down here. The dungeons held a certain sort of quietness the she was looking for. The kind of stillness that let you think properly. So here she was, in some random corridor, thinking.

Esmeralda was short for her age, looking more like a third year than a sixth. She was well developed though, her curves more than making up for her height. Her hair was a dark auburn that looked black in all lights except sunlight and firelight. With large emerald eyes that often had a dreamy look, a cream complexion and pixie features, she looked like a living doll that hadn't been told it wasn't supposed to be alive. She was often told she could have been her mother's twin, if she didn't have her father's height nose and smile. The kind of lopsided smile that brought out the lights in her eyes, and had managed to win over every teacher. Luckily.

Turning the corner, she discovered a door. Checking the marauders map, this particular corridor was supposed to be a dead end. Perhaps it was an unplottable room, like the Room of Requirement. Shrugging, she pushed open the door, to find a potions lab. There was a work bench against the back wall, and on it, were three cauldrons. Walking over, she gently peeked inside them to find them full. One had a pink coloured potion that swirled hypnotically. One had a green potion that release a heavy kind of smoke that made it look like the Muggle interpretation of a witches brew. And the third had a blue potion that emitted small sparks every now and then.

A note suddenly popped up over the potions, and Esmeralda pulled it down so she could read it.

_Drink whichever potion appeals to you, _read the note _according to its physical appearance._

Esmeralda shrugged and looked over the potions again. She had seen potions like these. Snape had made the class make them so they could see what a show potion looked like. They were all show value and nothing else. She finally decided on the green one, just for the fun of it. Plus the potion was the same shade as her eyes. She lifted the ladle from the bench, and took a large scoop, and drank it. It tasted like what she would have expected an essence of wildness to taste like. Light and tangy, with a certain nuttiness, but refreshing none-the-less. There was also a crisp cold sensation that caught her by surprise.

She put the ladle down to find another note.

_The blue one makes a permanent change, the green makes a reversible change, and the pink one will change you for a week. Choose again,_ read the note, _the change will occur after you drink this scoop_

Esmeralda looked at the potions with interest. She wondered if she should just leave, but the reckless side of her (which she was certain came from her father, or possibly Sirius) told her not to be a fraidy cat.

She looked over the potions again, and finally decided on the green one. If it was reversible, then it wasn't too bad. And she had liked it. So she took another scoop with the ladle and drank. It seemed to taste the same, but this time there was a spiciness underneath that seemed to arm her up.

The cauldrons and the ladle disappeared, along with the entire room, so she was standing on what seemed to be nothing, greyish white fog swirling around her.

'_Make a wish emerald eyes. Then your change can be decided_' giggled a decidedly feminine voice.

"Who are you?" called Esmeralda, more spooked than she was willing to tell.

'_I am Hogwarts. You didn't like the life you have, so I'm giving you a chance at something different,_' said the castle, and Esmeralda calmed down slightly. Surely the school wouldn't hurt her too badly.

She sank into her thoughts. She couldn't just make any random wish. It had to be something that would change about her. She couldn't wish for Sirius back, or her parents. Finally, she made her choice.

"I wish to be able to go where I want, do what I want and to be seen when I want. I want to be free from all this. I want to be able to sit back and let someone else do the worrying." She said firmly, hoping that she hadn't made a bad choice.

'_Nice idea,'_ said the castle, and then she suddenly felt a burning sensation fill her whole body, and she curled up in pain.

'_Don't worry, it will pass,_' said the castle soothingly, and she felt arms circle her, holding her close.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she woke up to find herself in the corridor where she had started.

'_I have put you cloak and map in your trunk, and your trunk where no-one can touch it,_' said the castle, '_now, before I go, where would you like to be?'_

I don't know, she tried to say, but all that came out was a meow. She stopped and blinked, then checked herself over. Paws, fur, and a tail. She was a cat! A black cat, from her paws to the tips of her tail.

'**What's going on here?**' she thought.

'_You were changed,'_ said the castle, '_so where would you like to go?_'

'**I don't know as yet,**' thought Esmeralda.

'_Alright. When you decide, just ask, and I'll send you there,_'

Esmeralda smiled (as much as a cat could smile) and trotted off, stumbling a bit as she tried to get used to her new body

It only took three days before people actually noticed she was gone. Esmeralda would have been insulted if it hadn't been the weekend, and seeing as she was often gone on the weekends, she couldn't blame them. But it was funny watching them run around like headless chickens when they realised she was gone. It was also interesting to hear what they said of her behind her back. Apparently, most of the guys in her dorm wouldn't mind sleeping with her. In the adult way.

And it was also interesting to discover how many people ignore a black cat that wandered the castle. She had been to all the house dormitories, and had spent a while begging in the great hall. It was amusing to see the seventh year boys reduced to a pile mush when she had turned her eyes on them.

Of course, she had also been to Dumbledore's office, and had discovered that she could still talk to Fawkes. Apparently there were a lot of things Dumbledore didn't tell her, like the fact that she was a Horcrux. One of Voldemort's horcruxes, to be precise. It was also rather disturbing to discover that Snape harboured a secret crush on her mother.

Now, she was sitting perched on a window sill watching the teacher interrogating the entire school. Apparently the last she had been seen was during dinner. Honestly didn't people care about her? Hadn't she announced to her dorm-mates that she was going out? Apparently not. Neville managed to get into the hall, and when asked he told them that she had been in the dorm, before announcing she was going for a walk. The others looked at him like he had grown an extra head, and Esmeralda rolled her eyes at them finally, all the students were released.

"What are we going to do Albus?" asked Minerva.

"I don't know," sighed the old man, "I shudder to think what could have happened to her,"

"She's probably gotten herself locked in a classroom," said McGonagall, "She's in no danger in Hogwarts,"

"With Slytherin and Voldemort having been in the castle, there is no accounting for what could be found," said Dumbledore.

"Hundreds upon thousands of students have attended Hogwarts since they have been here. Surely such dangers would have been found or accounted for," said McGonagall.

"Still, knowing young Esmeralda's luck, there is no accounting for what could happen," said Dumbledore.

"Surely the castle will protect her students?" asked McGonagall, obviously perturbed by the old man's thoughts. Esmeralda couldn't blame the woman. Honestly, she thought Dumbledore was being daft.

"What of the basilisk?" asked Dumbledore.

"Maybe the castle has no protection over what her founders dictate. Besides, only one student was killed, the rest paralysed," argued McGonagall, "Surely that accounts for something,"

"My dear woman," said Dumbledore, launching into a speech that Esmeralda tuned out. From the look McGonagall gave the headmaster, it was obvious that she thought he was going barmy in his old age.

Finally, McGonagall interrupted the headmaster and told him she would be searching the castle. The man nodded, and wandered off, probably to go and suck lemon drops.

Esmeralda shook herself, and hopped down, deciding to do a little exploring. She thought that the old man might actually have a point. With all the famous people who had walked the halls, surely there were going to be some interesting things around. And seeing as she was now released of her duties, she might as well discover them. Se trotted off through the halls of Hogwarts, humming merrily in her mind. A humming (it was possible. She had tried) cat was a bit unusual, even here.

"Well, look what we have here," came a cold, sneering voice from behind her.

Turning, she spotted Crabbe standing behind her, regarding her with a creepy look of interest.

"The perfect thing to practise on," said Crabbe, casting a body bind on her, "I need to practise the cruciatus if the Dark Lord is going to look at me,"

She tried to struggle when she heard what he wanted to do with her, and discovered, to her horror, that he had somehow managed to get proficient in body-binds.

Finally, they got to an empty classroom, where he dropped here onto the floor. Casting a locking charm on the door, he released the body bind, and aimed his wand at her. Despite the fact that she knew what was coming, her body didn't seem to work, and she stayed frozen on the floor, staring up at him.

"Crucio," he said clearly, and the next thing she knew, waves of pain were running through her. She screamed out in agony and curled up, praying for the pain to end. Finally, it abated, and she lay there panting for breath. She heard the faint sound of laughter, and saw Crabbe standing there laughing. She managed to get to her feet, and, using the last of her energy, she bolted, finally hiding under a bookshelf, tucked into the furthest corner. She started to shake, hearing him yell in anger. In his frustration, he started to randomly throw reducto's around, causing several things to blow up, one being the door. The only problem was, he was in the way. Finally, he peeked under the bookshelf. Upon seeing her, he reached a hand in, and she did the first thing that came to mind. She bit him. He swore and pulled back to look at his hand. Using the distraction, she streaked out from under the bookshelf and darted out the door. With a roar, he followed.

Down the corridors he chased her, shooting random curses at her. Luckily, they all missed. She seemed to be going on whatever adrenaline her body had left, and she knew it would eventually run out. Either that or her luck.

Eventually it was her luck that ran out, and she found herself trapped in a dead end. She turned to find Crabbe coming down the hall. How he managed to catch her was a mystery. She felt herself start to shake.

'**Please no! Not this! Anything but this!**' she whimpered in her mind, '**I don't want to be here! Anywhere but here! Somewhere safe**!'

And then, quite suddenly, she wasn't there.

'_You asked for somewhere safe_' whispered the castle. The next thing she knew, she was standing on a rock, set in the middle of a pond in the freezing rain.

'**How is this safe?**' she thought sarcastically, before she started to yowl.


	3. why him?

Once tom was inside the manor, he called out to the house elves, commanding that a large fire be lit in his room, and that they bring him some healing potions. The cat in his arm was probably some kind of magical creature, or perhaps had been caught in a backlash of magic. Anyway, the thing was obviously hurt, or scared stiff, because all it did was shake in his arms.

Despite his status as the most feared wizard in England, tom had always had a soft spot for cats, having picked them off the roadside, healed them, and then sent them on their way. He knew it wasn't going to help anyone, and it wasn't going to help his image, but he couldn't help it. Grumbling under his breath, he took the cat to his bedroom, and deposited it on the bed.

He summoned a towel to dry it, seeing as when he used a drying charm, most cats freaked out. He gently pulled the cat onto his lap, and set about gently drying the poor thing, who was still shaking. Once he'd finished, he cast a diagnosis charm on the cat. It was slightly underweight, exhausted, and showed signs of magic. Frowning, he cast a stronger charm, and was shocked to discover that the cat had been subjected to a cruciatus curse. Angrily, he summoned a house elf, and demanded a calming potion and sleeping draught be brought immediately. He felt the cat flinch as the elf apparated out. The two bottles appeared on the bed next to him, and he decided to go with the calming draught.

He dipped his finger inside, and held it out to the cat, but the damn thing refused. He gently turned the cat around so it facing him, and waved his finger in front of it's face to catch it's attention. The then slowly put his finger in his mouth, licking off the small amount of calming draught. He then dipped his finger again into the bottle, and this time, the cat accepted the potion. A few does later, the cat had stopped shaking. He then moved onto the sleeping potion, and it wasn't long before the cat had collapsed in his lap.

Shaking his head (the calming draught had worked quite well on him) he turned the cat over to check its gender.

A female. He sighed, and hoped that she wasn't pregnant. That had happened once with disasterous results. Just before a raid, the kittens and their mother had gotten out, and had managed to turn his death eaters into piles of mush as they romped around the place. He'd actually had to cancel the raid.

Sighing, he put the cat onto his pillow, and added a mild heating charm so it would stay warm, before we went off to find his book again. He decided to read in his room, in case the cat woke up early.

Esmeralda saw someone approaching in the rain, and yowled a couple of times to alert them to her presence. Finally, they came close enough for her to see their face, ad she almost keeled over. Almost. All she had done was let out a pathetic sounding meow of terror at the sight of her parents murderer, before he started to wade into the pond. She wondered vaguely is she should make a break for it, but the thought was smothered when he came close enough for her to jump onto him. And jump she did, automatically latching his claws onto his shirt. She felt his arms go around her, and she allowed herself to sink into the warmth of his body. She buried her face in his shirt, and allowed him to take her away. After all, he couldn't know she was Esmeralda Potter.

He carried her into the manor, and she heard him shouting for house elves.

'**what on earth does he need healing brews for?**' she wondered, and if she had been less exhausted, she would have realised that they were for her.

Finally, he put her down, and she looked around to find herself on a large bed. A large, soft, squishy bed to be precise, and she had the feeling of being tiny and insignificant compared to the huge plush expanse of the bed. She felt hands grabbing her, and she was placed on his lap. Before she could wriggle away, she found herself covered by something. She felt herself being shaken, and soon realised she was being towelled dry. She settled herself down, and allowed him to finish, feeling bemused at the surrealism of it all.

Finally, he stopped drying her, and she sat there, her body not responding due to the lingering shock of Crabbe's curse. She supposed it had a stronger effect due to her reduced body size. She felt a light buzz pass over her, and she recognised it as a diagnosis spell. Madame Pomfrey had certainly cast enough of those on her. She looked up to see Voldemort frowning, before waving his wand over her again. This time, she felt a stronger buzz, before he started to yell. Instinctively, she curled up, expecting a hex to hit her. She heard a resounding crack, similar to apparition, and she flinched, unsure of what to expect.

Esmeralda soon felt two hands pick her up, and in front of her, she saw a finger coated in what she recognised as a potion. She refused unsure if he was trying to poison her or not. She heard him sigh, and she turned around. He waved his finger in front of her face, ad she immediately focused on it. She watched as he licked the potion off his own finger, before offering her some more. This time, she accepted the potion, feeling resigned. She soon felt the tremors in her body stop, and she started to relax.

She heard a rumbling noise, and realised with a start that she was purring. The action had caught her off guard many times, and this was another one of those times. She watched lazily as he opened the other bottle that was lying on the bed next to him, before he started to feed the potion inside to her. She realized that it was a sleeping draught, and accepted it calmly, feeling exhausted. Before long, her eyes drifted shut, and she fell to the darkness that was dancing around the edges of her vision.


	4. The Dark Lord

When she came to, Esmeralda found herself curled up on a pillow, feeling incredibly content. She sat up, and lazily looked around. She turned herself to come face to face with the Dark Lord, red crimson eyes watching her. She hissed in surprise, and jumped back. Unfortunately, she was on the end of the bed, almost falling off when she jumped. With a muttered curse, Tom reached forward and grabbed her, pulling her close.

"You silly cat," he muttered, as he checked her over. She hissed and wriggled in his grip, feeling uncomfortable. He chuckled and let her. She bolted to the other side of the bed, before turning to regard him from atop the pillow placed there.

Esmeralda narrowed her eyes at tom, checking if there was perhaps some ulterior motive for his actions.

"You know, it seems like you don't like me," tom said to her, as he lay lazily on his side, "It's strange, seeing as most other cats do,"

Esmeralda took the opportunity to observe him. He didn't look at all like the thing that had come out of the cauldron in the graveyard. In fact he looked like the memory from the diary, perhaps ten years older. The only thing that had remained the same was his eyes, still a gleaming crimson. Other than that, they could be two different people, the old Voldemort, and this new one.

Warily, she took a step towards him, taking in his scent as she did so. As soon as she did, she realised why it was other cats had taken to him. He smelt of spices and coffee, with a musky undertone that added a level of warmth to his persona. All in all, he smelt good, and Esmeralda found herself being drawn towards him, unable to pull away.

Tom chuckled as she slowly walked forward, and when she was close enough, he reached out a hand. She flinched slightly, but allowed him to pet her. He smiled slightly, and pulled her close, so that he could scratch under her chin and behind her ears.

To her horror, Esmeralda found herself purring under his ministrations, and when she saw him smile, she decided that maybe he wasn't so bad. He looked nicer when he smiled, and it brought out the features of his face.

After a while he got out of bed, leaving her sitting against the pillow. Unhappily, she snuggled against his pillow, trying to find the remaining heat, as she watched him move around the room. Finally, he walked into what she supposed was the bathroom, and she got up, intending to explore the room.

She wandered over to the edge of the bed, and peered over, before abruptly pulling back. The bed was high, and she supposed it only looked like the edge of a cliff because she was tiny. Screwing up her courage, she peered over the edge again, and prepared herself to jump, hoping that the saying that a cat always landed on its feet was true.

Fortunately, before she could actually summon up the courage to jump, Tom walked back into the room, and spotted her on the edge of the bed.

"Hold up there Kitten," he said, scooping her up, and setting her back in the middle of the bed, "It's high, and you might get hurt. Don't try to jump off," his tone was warning, and Esmeralda meowed up at him, deciding to put her eyes to use.

Tom found himself subject to a pair of wide, glimmering green eyes that seemed to be filled with a pleading that made him feel as if he'd been completely unfair. Shaking his head as he attempted to clear his thoughts, he looked back to the cat, who looked so hopeful.

"Alright," he said, before setting her on the floor. He magicked the doors and windows shut, in case she got a little too adventurous, and left her at it.

Esmeralda could have crowed with delight, but her vocal chords weren't exactly capable of such a noise. She immediately started to explore the room, trying to see if there was anything of interest to be found. To her annoyance, the doors and windows were shut, leaving her trapped in the room. She used the various footstools and stacks of books lying around to make her way onto his desk, and she had fun shifting his reports so she could see them all. Finally, just to see what he would do, she climbed to the windowsill, and jumped onto the stack of papers, sending her, the papers, and a couple of inkwells tumbling to the floor.

She heard the tap turn off in the next room, and found herself the subject of a very annoyed red gaze from a pile of ink soaked reports. Tilting her head, she meowed innocently, wondering if he was going to hex her. Tom stared at her, standing in the doorway, half dressed, and still wet from his shower.

"Mordred! What did you do?!" he said, staring at the mess that was his desk and reports. Esmeralda didn't really see the difference except most of the papers were on the floor covered in ink.

"You bloody menace," growled tom, picking her up and depositing her in an empty waste paper basket, before getting around to cleaning.

Quite unhappy with the arrangement, Esmeralda started to mewl, getting ready to build up to a full blown yowl, before she heard a knock on the door.

"Enter!" barked Tom, still busy cleaning.

"My lord?"


	5. can we keep it?

Lucius Malfoy stared at the sight of the Dark Lord angrily cleaning up a messy desk, with a black cat sitting in the waste paper basket. He didn't know why he stared. After all, this wasn't the strangest situation he'd seen his Lord in. there was the time they'd gone to Ireland for a raid.

"My lord?" he asked.

"What is it?" asked Tom irritably, not looking up.

"Have you finally decided to clean your desk?" asked Lucius before he could stop himself.

"No," said Tom, "My desk is perfectly fine the way it is. I have a system that works. It's that bloody menace in the bin,"

"What did the cat do?" asked Lucius, unable to stop the amusement from breaking out in his voice.

"She decided to jump into my reports, getting them everywhere, and spilling ink on most of them," said Tom.

"You could get the house elves to fix it," said Lucius, walking over to pick up the cat. He was surprised when she hissed at him, before wriggling out of his grip, and running for the still open door.

Lucius turned with a startled cry, but before the cat could get out of the door, it slammed shut in her face, and she skidded to a halt, staring at the door.

"My lord, why do you have a cat?" asked Lucius, wandering over to pick the cat up again. She hissed in his arms, and tried to scratch him. He tapped her on the nose absently.

"I found her out in the rain yesterday. She had breached the wards, and she only registered because she showed signs of magic," said Tom, standing back to look over his desk once again, "Not only that, she also showed signs of the cruciatus curse, and she's awfully war-…Lucius? Are you listening?"

Tom turned around to find Lucius cooing at the black cat, who was smugly nuzzling his face.

"Merlin," sighed Tom. He reached over and plucked the cat out of the Blonde's arms, and depositing her on the bed, "I thought you didn't like cats,"

"Well, she is…cute," said Lucius, struggling to maintain his dignity. Tom swore he saw the cat snigger.

"Really?" said Tom, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," said Lucius.

Tom sighed, and turned back to the cat on his bed, only to see it trotting along the headboard. He watched as it jumped to the window sill.

"What is it doing?" asked Lucius.

"I don't know," said Tom, frowning. Suddenly, his gaze shifted to what was at the other end of the window; his desk.

Before he could stop her, Esmeralda jumped, landing on top of the pile of newly stacked papers once again. Once again, she and the papers landed in a pile on the floor.

"So, are you keeping her?" asked Lucius after Tom only stared at the cat.

"No," said Tom, glaring at the black cat on his floor.


	6. to feed a cat

Tom sighed as he read through his reports. They were all generally the same; confusion and mayhem everywhere, a sudden hit of poverty in Muggle and magical England alike and cracks in the ministries defence. He wondered why he had bothered to clean the reports of the ink from his new cats escapades in the morning. He turned to glare at said cat, who was now sleeping peacefully in a shaft of sunlight on his desk.

He sighed, and turned back to his reports, before sighing, and tossing the lot onto the bin, before standing up. He decided to go for lunch, seeing as it was noon. He sighed, and turned back to the cat on his desk, before picking her up. She would need to be fed as well.

He walked down to the kitchen, holding the squirming cat tightly. He stepped into the bustling kitchen, chuckling in amusement, as his presence caused his three elves to have a near heart attack.

"Is master needing something?" squeaked Tipsy, bowing low.

"I have come for lunch," said Tom commandingly, "Make sure you also provide food for the cat,"

"Master has a new cat?" asked Topsy, peeking around the bench.

"Yes," said Tom, sitting down at the table. It wasn't long before a large steak and salad popped before him, with a small silver bowl of tuna.

"What would master like to drink?" asked Tapsy, standing at Toms elbow.

"Pumpkin Juice," said Tom, "Like I always do,"

"Master should change his order," muttered Tapsy, wandering off to get his drink, "Master shouldn't run the risk of patterns,"

Tom ignored the elf. He'd had the three elves since he'd been twenty, and they were the only ones allowed to speak to him thus, other than Nagini.

He set the cat on the table, and watched as it looked around for a moment, before spotting the bowl.

Esmeralda was annoyed. She's been having a nice nap before she had been rudely awakened by a pair of hands picking her up. Now she was standing on the table. She spotted a small silver bowl, and she walked towards it, sniffing warily. She discovered it to be tuna, and immediately turned away from it.

"**Typical,"** she sniffed, turning to find a large steak sitting in front of Tom, **"He takes the good stuff for himself,"**

She stalked over to him, and sat down pointedly in front of him.

"What do you want kitten?" he sighed. She gave the steak a look, and then turned back to him.

"Oh no, you are not having my steak," he said firmly, "You have tuna,"

He levitated the bowl of fish in front of Esmeralda, but she turned away from it, looking once more at the steak. With a growl of frustration, he scooped some of the tuna out with his hand, and held it out to her.

"**Hah,**" she sniggered internally, **"Not so high and mighty are you, feeding a cat,"**

She sniffed the tuna, and took just a little bit. He growled and held his hand out again. This time she completely ignored it, and stared at the steak.

"You bloody cat!" he growled, "No wonder you're malnourished, if you don't eat what's given to you,"

She wondered if he was going to send her away. She watched as he cut a small piece of the steak, and then placed it on the table in front of her. She looked at it and waited. She wanted to see if he was going to feed her by hand. He growled again, and picked it up and held it to her. Esmeralda sniffed it, just for show, and ate it. It was absolutely divine.

Tom glared at the cat as he cut a second piece of steak. He held it out to her, and she ate it immediately. A thought occurred to him, and he vanished all the tuna in the small bowl he had given her, before putting the cut up pieces of steak in there. He placed the bowl in front of her.

She sniffed it delicately, before nudging the bowl towards him.

"You bloody spoilt cat!" he growled, but he none-the-less took a piece and fed her. She had obviously been spoilt by her last owner, before they had gotten rid of her. Finally, they finished the steak that was in the bowl, and she sat, purring happily.

He glared at her, and called Topsy.

"Master called?" asked Topsy.

"Get me another steak," he said, "That cat ate my other one,"

"Yes master," to his credit, Topsy managed not to ask how the cat got the steak. Tom turned back to find the cat drinking pumpkin juice from his goblet, and called Tapsy.

"Master?" asked Tapsy.

"Get me another pumpkin juice," said Tom tiredly, gesturing to the cat.

Tapsy nodded, and snapped her fingers, another goblet appearing on the table.

Tom sighed and ate his meal, sending glares to the cat, which was curled up in a ball, and had gone to sleep again, purring happily.

Esmeralda looked over the room happily. It had been a week since the Dark Lord had taken her in, and she was rather enjoying her new life. Of course, she had been on her best behaviour. It wouldn't do to be kicked out of the place, especially after Hogwarts had sent her here specifically.

'_well my dear, how are you holding up?'_ came the voice of the castle

"**How are you here?"** asked Esmeralda "**I'm not in the castle,"**

"_I have magic my dear,_" said the castle, "_Now, how are you doing?"_

"**Very well,"** said Esmeralda, purring slightly, **"This place is great. Ignore the fact that my 'owner' is a dark lord, and everything is perfect. In fact, I'm not sure if I want to change back,"**

"_Lovely dear,"_ said the castle, _"You know I do have a plan for all of this,"_

"**All of what?"**

"_The war, and you and Tom. If you let me, I'll continue,"_

"**What will that mean?"** asked Esmeralda suspiciously.

"_It'll mean you staying with Tom dear for a while longer, as a cat, and you getting to know him better,"_ said the castle good naturedly, _"But that will mean that you stay a cat for a lot longer, and I will be adding to you,"_

"**How do you mean?"** asked Esmeralda

"_I'll be opening a connection between you and Tom. It'll add spice to your life,"_ giggled the castle.

"**Yay,"** said Esmeralda sarcastically, **"What is I disagree?"**

"_I'll leave you alone, and Tom will figure out who you are in a few days with some help from me," _ said the castle calmly.

Esmeralda thought about it for a bit.

"**Will it help the war?"** she asked.

"_It will put a stop to it, if all things go well,"_ said the castle.

"**Fine,"** said Esmeralda.

She felt a burst of magic, before she passed out

_**Hello all my lovely readers.**_

_**Sorry I haven't updated sooner, but I have been busy. We spent the last week painting the house, and I have muscles aching in places I didn't even know I had a muscle in. the upside is that my bedroom walls no longer have pencil marks and peeled paint.**_

_**Any way, here's the next chapter, and I hope you will forgive me for not updating sooner.**_

_**Thanks to all the lovely people who favorited the story!**_


	7. i'm hearing cats!

**Hello readers, and greetings.**

**I know it has been a while since I updated, and for that I am sorry, but I have exams coming up, so I have been incredibly busy. I will not be posting for a couple of weeks after this.**

Tom stalked through the halls of his Manse, a thunder cloud building above his head. The week had been an absolute nightmare. The aurors had stepped up their patrols, the Order of the Phoenix had become more powerful, and Dumbledore's influence in the ministry was growing by the day. And why? Because of that infuriating Esmeralda Potter. She had been reported missing a week ago by his informants inside the castle. According to Severus, the staff and students alike were completely baffled, although Severus confided that Dumbledore seemed to know more than he let on.

Of course he did.

She was probably in some remote location, receiving extensive training in whatever random techniques Dumbledore thought would be useful when fighting the evil Dark Lord. Her sudden disappearance was disturbing, as was the fact that only Dumbledore seemed to know where she was. Tom hid it, but he was incredibly nervous about what _this_ might mean. Dumbledore always seemed to have a new trick up his sleeve, like way the entire order had managed to be notified in the ministry, or that worrying way he was getting closer to Tom's biggest secret.

Tom sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He would have to do something about the old man. He was really getting frustrating. Especially seeing as tom had been trying to do something about him since the middle of the First war.

Pushing open his door, he was reminded by what else he had to take care of. That Bloody Cat. The damn thing was annoying enough to warrant capital letters, even if it was only in his mind. She has been around for a week, and he was constantly checking everything to make sure she wasn't causing any trouble. Of course she hadn't actually caused any mayhem, but tom was certain it was only a matter of time before she unleashed. Most of the disasters had been avoided because of his constant scrutiny, but otherwise, she had been well behaved. Which was, in tom's opinion, very worrying. She had the air of one just waiting for the opportunity to strike, and he was her prey.

Currently, said Bloody Cat was sprawled over his desk, apparently asleep. Tom moved over to check. He had been caught out more times than one when he had thought she was asleep. Like the time she had managed to eat his share of grilled salmon. Lucius had spent the entire conversation trying to hide a smirk, and when tom had finally asked, Lucius had only pointed to where that cat was swallowing the last of the salmon.

Tom nudged the cat, and didn't get a response. He gave her a poke in the stomach, which always got a reaction, but unfortunately, she didn't move. Worriedly, tom cast a diagnostic charm and found her to be in a mini coma of sorts. It was a magically induced sleep. Growling, tom cast his sights over his room again, checking to see if there were any signs of someone coming in. the room was perfect, looking the same as it had been that morning. He cast several scans over the room, each coming up clean.

He turned back to the cat on his desk, and gently picked her up.

"What's happened to you kitten?" he questioned quietly, as he sat on the bed. He cast another scan on her. It seemed like nothing more was wrong with her than the sleep.

Gently, he sent a tendril of magic into her, slowly pushing away the web of sleep that covered her. Slowly, she stirred, her tail twitching, as her eyes gently opened. Blinking, she sat up, before quickly checking herself over.

'_**okay, so nothing broken or gone,**_' the voice was soft, and decidedly feminine, and hauntingly familiar.

"What?" he muttered, looking around.

' _**what's he going on about now?**_ The voice spoke again.

"Who's there?" he asked.

'_**what?**_' the voice asked.

"Who is talking" he asked.

'**You can hear me?**_' _the voice asked.

"I can," said Tom, as calmly as he could, "Who are you?"

'_**I'm right here,**_' said the voice.

"Where?" he asked.

'_**Look to your lap,**_'

Tom looked down to see the cat looking quizzically up at him.

"You're a cat?" he asked, unable to keep the shock from his voice.

'_**no, I'm a dog,**_**' **said the cat, and Tom saw her roll her eyes, '_**of course I'm a cat,**_'

"And you can talk," said Tom, raising an eyebrow, "Or perhaps I'm going insane,"

'_**I thought that had happened years ago,**_' sniffed the cat.

"Don't get snarky," said Tom. he sat back, and a ran a hand through his hair agitatedly, "I can't believe this is happening," he muttered, "A cat is talking to me and I'm holding a conversation with it,"

'_**you're not going mad, though I would like to say differently,**_ said the cat, hopping off his lap.

"Does this happen to you often?" he asked, trying to be casual.

'_**not really no,**_' she said, starting to wash her fur, '_**usually, no-one can hear me. I've been speaking to humans for ages, but no-one has ever heard me,**_'

"Great," he muttered, "So, where are you from?"

'_**why do you ask?**_' she asked, looking up at him.

"I'm trying to be nice," he said, huffing slightly.

'_**that'll be a first,**_' she muttered, and he turned to stare at her.

"What?" he asked.

'_**never mind,**_' she said, '_**I'm from a place called Hogwarts,**_'

"Hogwarts?" he said, staring at her.

'_**yes, big castle, usually filled with kids, at intervals of course,' **_she said, '_**it was fun, watching them muck up when they were playing with their wands,**_'

"Wands?" asked Tom.

'_**don't you call them that?'**_ she asked curiously.

"I do, but I've never met an animal who referred to things by their human names," he said.

'_**that's because you only speak to those snakes,**_' she said, before padding back to him, and placing herself on his lap '_**pat me!**_' she demanded, purring when he complied.

Esmeralda felt as though she was in shock. When she had woken up, her first instinct had been to run at the sight of the Dark Lord so close. That had been hampered by the fact that her body had been on autopilot, immediately checking over herself to see if anything was wrong. She wanted to see what else the castle had done to her.

She hadn't expected to be able to talk to the Dark Lord. She felt as though she was in a dream; everything felt so surreal. She found herself jumping around on the spot, inventing a story that sounded somewhat plausible.

Now, she sat on his lap, purring madly, while he scratched behind her ear, and thought about what she had said. Vaguely, she wondered how he managed to find all the god spots to scratch.

"So what is your name?" he asked suddenly, pulling her out of her reverie.

'_**I don't know,'**_she said, thinking quickly, '_**I've never really had a name. I don't remember my other name any more,**_'

"Your other name?" he asked.

'_**from when I was human,**_ she said.

"You were human?" he asked.

'**I was once,**' she said, '_**are you going to repeat everything I say?**_'

"No," he said, "I'm just trying to find out more,"

'_**why?**_' she asked.

"Because I have a talking cat on my lap," said Tom, "So, if you were human once, how did you end up as a cat?"

'_**I can't really remember. There was a loud noise, then a lot of smoke, and then I was a cat**_' shrugged Esmeralda, hoping he would buy her story.

"Uh huh," he said, eyeing her warily.

'_**what?**_' she asked.

"So why were you at Hogwarts?" he asked

'_**I don't know,'**_ she said, '_**I found myself there, and it looked all right,**_'

"Uh huh," he said.

'_**you're not going to kick me out, are you?**_' she asked, '_**I would totally understand if you did**_'

"No, I'm not going to get rid of you," he said, "What do you mean you would understand?"

'_**word gets around in that castle,**_' she said calmly.

"What word?" he asked suspiciously.

'_**the fact that you were Tom Marvolo Riddle, you attended Hogwarts fifty years ago, you attempted to steal the Philosophers Stone five years ago and you were raised two years ago in the graveyard outside your dead fathers mansion,**_' said Esmeralda, a brainwave hitting her.

"How did you find that out?" he growled, holding her up, so he could look her in the eye.

'_**people talk,**_' Esmeralda shrugged, '_**like you wouldn't believe**_'

"Hmm," he said, putting her down, and absently patting her.

Esmeralda sat in silence, hoping he would pick up on the rather obvious hint she had dropped.

"I have an idea," he said finally, and Esmeralda almost breathed a sigh of relief.

'_**what?**_' she asked.

"I'll let you stay," he said, "If you report back to me any suspicious conversations you hear,"

'_**that doesn't sound to bad**_' she reflected, '_**but I expect to be treated nicely,**_'

"Alright," shrugged Tom.

'_**and I want to sleep on the bed,**_' she said.

"Why?" he asked, looking perplexed. Esmeralda smirked internally at the sight.

'_**because it's comfy,**_' she said, '_**and I don't like sleeping on the table,**_'

"Fine," he said, "But no more eating my food,"

'_**I'll ask first,**_' she promised.

"Deal then?" asked Tom, feeling incredibly stupid for talking to a cat.

'_**deal,**_' said Esmeralda, '_**now could you please pat me some more?**_'

**Well?**

**What did you think? I was a little iffy on the dialogue, but I think it turned out well. I had to revise it a couple of times, but I think I'll stick with this layout.**

**Please review and tell me what you thought**


	8. meeting the minions

Hello everyone!

I'm really sorry for the late update, but, things have been hectic. I actually had tis finished a while ago, but I was waiting till Christmas day, and then I collapsed in sheer exhaustion. I never knew Christmas could take so much out of a person, but then again, all I used to do was go to parties and open presents. This year, I got to prepare stuff for the parties, like decorations, and food and cleaning, and my back aches from thinking about it.

So here's the new chapter! I hope you like it!

'Normal speak/talk'

_Tom's thoughts_

**Esmeralda's thoughts.**

_**~parseltongue~**_

Albus Dumbledore sat behind his desk deep in thought. Things were definitely taking a turn for the worse. It had been a month since the girl had disappeared, and he was at a loss as to what he should do. All his plans were ash without the girl, and if he didn't find her soon, then things were going to go downhill fairly soon. He would only be able to hold up his fiction of her being in training for so long, before people started to become suspicious.

He sighed in frustration. It was really annoying how easily the girl had gotten away. He had portraits patrolling the entire castle, and he had gone through each secret passageway and room that he knew of to see if she was there, and he'd sent people out to search Diagon alley and Hogsmeade. She wasn't anywhere to be found. He didn't have any leads either.

It looked like he was going to have to find someone else to be the Chosen One. It didn't really matter who, just so long as they could fade into the background once they were done. Someone loyal, and easily manipulated.

Albus smirked, ignoring the angry glares he got from the portraits on the walls.

He knew just the person.

Esmeralda was having loads of fun. She was quite currently crouched on a branch above a group a quietly talking death-eaters. If she pulled this off correctly, it was going to be awesome. All she had to do was wait until they were spread out properly.

She watched as the door opened, and the black-robed crowd began to move towards the throne. Now!

She leapt, landing perfectly on the head of a random, but rather tall death-eater, and took off again, leaving a yelling man behind. She leapt expertly from head to head, causing a flurry of yells to erupt.

"What the…"

"Hey!"

"Shiiit!"

"Geddit! Geddit!"

"WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IT?"

"My hair!"

"Aaarghhh!"

"Watch out!"

Her final death-eater was one Bellatrix Lestrange, who released a terrified screech that was so high-pitched that Esmeralda almost fell off, before she bunched her muscles and leapt again, landing perfectly on Tom's shoulder, before she slipped down, into his arms. She blinked innocently up at him, and he glared at her. He was wearing his glamour today.

'_Was that necessary?'_ thought Tom, glancing down at the smug cat in his arms.

'**Oh yes**' said Esmeralda, purring happily, '**it was loads of fun too**'

"I see you have all become aware of my new familiar," called Tom out into the chaos, and Esmeralda watched with interest as everyone stilled almost instantly.

"New familiar, my lord?" asked Bellatrix, still twitching slightly, causing several people, Esmeralda included, to snicker.

"Yes Bella," said Tom, "this is Mera. You will treat her with the same respect you show Nagini. Am I understood?"

"Yes my lord," murmured his death-eaters, glancing at the black cat in their lords arms, visible only by her brilliant green eyes.

Tom had chosen Esmeralda's name a few days after they had made their deal, when tom had become sick of calling her cat. Esmeralda had almost fallen over sideways when he had suggested Esmeralda, but she had allowed him the irony. When she had asked why, he had said it was because of her eyes, which were still a stunning emerald colour.

When he had asked why she was so surprised, she had said it reminded her of the sweet Esmeralda Potter. He had glared at her, and had almost instantly shortened the name to Mera.

Tom settled into his throne, and settled Esmeralda on his lap, stroking her gently. He looked around coldly, before getting down to business, "There have been reports of Dumbledore's power growing in the ministry, and several of my sources have mentioned that many aurors have joined the Order,"

"Many of them are trainees just out of Hogwarts, my lord," Avery interjected.

'_And are all in Dumbledore's pocket, dolt'_ thought Tom irritatedly, before continuing out loud, while Esmeralda laughed.

"Who have been apprenticed to war veterans who are on Dumbledore's side," said Tom, "we are losing our ground in the ministry. Added to this is Esmeralda potter's disappearance,"

There was an outbreak of muttering amongst the death-eaters, stopped only when Tom shot sparks up into the air with a loud bang.

"Either she has been sent for some mysterious training with Dumbledore, or she has simply vanished, and the Old man is trying to save face," said Tom, "I am more inclined to believe the latter, due to the confusion experienced once it was noted she was missing,"

"What are we supposed to do about it?" asked a death-eater.

"We wait," said Lucius, glaring coldly at the man, "Is there any other news?"

"Dumbledore's been acting odd," said Severus, and Voldemort raised an eyebrow.

'**Odder than usual?**' questioned Esmeralda snidely in her mind.

"Odder than usual, you mean," cackled Bella. And Esmeralda stiffened in tom's lap, while Tom sent a smirk down their link.

"Yes," said Severus, "Despite his claims that potter has left for training, he has been holing himself up with Neville Longbottom,"

'**Poor Neville**' shuddered Esmeralda, **'he's such a sweet boy. He doesn't deserve to be summoned to that old goat**,'

Tom chuckled internally.

"Why?" asked Bella.

"If you remember, Bella," hissed Tom, stroking Esmeralda, "Longbottom was the other possible Prophecy child,"

"Not only that," interjected Severus, "He's also been summoning Granger and Weasley more often, and they in turn have been spending more time with Longbottom,"

"So perhaps Dumbledore has done something to potter," suggested Nott.

"No," said Tom, "I believe it to be more along the lines of her having run away,"

"And you think Dumbledore has tried to hide it," said Avery. He gulped when he was fixed with a red glare.

"What do you think?" asked Bella sarcastically.

'**Is she really insane?'** asked Esmeralda curiously, **'she seems to be using it as a mask so she can get away with more,**'

'_She's not completely insane, no_' replied Tom, '_but she's not completely sane either_'

They tuned back into reality, and found that Bellatrix was screaming at Avery.

"Silence!" yelled Tom, and they quieted down, "Do we have any new reports on the order?"

"No," murmured the mass.

"Any new progress on any of our fronts?" asked Tom silkily, and Esmeralda shivered. She had often been on the reception of that voice.

"No My lord," they were even softer now

"Then it seems that I have no use for you," growled Tom, "Get out of my sight. I expect better by the next meeting,"

They fled.

"My Lord?" asked Bellatrix, once the rest of the death-eaters had left, "I something wrong?"

"And why would you think that?" asked Tom, removing his glamour irritably.

"You weren't as rough as usual," said Severus, "You didn't even cruciate anyone,"

"Is it the cat?" asked Lucius.

"And why would you think that?" asked Tom, glaring at the blonde.

"Just a thought," said Lucius.

"Can I hold her?" asked Bella suddenly, stretching her hands out entreatingly.

"If she wants you to," said Tom.

'**No!**' said Esmeralda, before adding as an afterthought, '**makes her wash her hands first!**'

"She wishes for you to wash your hands," said Tom.

"My lord?" asked his three lieutenants.

"She is my familiar," said Tom, giving a look that implied that they were being denser than trolls, "Meaning that we can understand one-another,"

"Oh," said Lucius.

"Why do I have to wash my hands?" whined Bella.

'**Because they're filthy. I don't know where they've been, I don't want to know where they've been, and she looks like she needs a good bath,**' said Esmeralda huffily.

"You don't want to know," said Tom, settling Esmeralda onto his shoulder.

"Fine," sulked Bella, as the four of them walked up to Tom's office.

"What are we doing now?" asked Lucius.

"Paper work," said Tom.

"Aww," whined the blonde, and Esmeralda stared at him.

'**Isn't he supposed to be more dignified?**' she asked.

'_Only in public_' replied Tom, '_but he's like that the rest of the time_'

"You know, I think the paper work just breeds when we're not looking," grumbled Lucius, pulling a pile of reports from the desk, and settling himself on the floor.

"And what do you propose we do about it?" asked Tom, putting Esmeralda on a specialised bed on the corner of his table, the only area not covered by paper.

"I know!" said Bella excitedly. She pulled a pile of reports from Lucius's lap into a waste paper basket and dumped the lot into the fireplace.

"Bella!" yelled Tom and Lucius at once, while Severus collapsed onto the sofa, laughing uproariously.

"What?" asked Bella, "Should I have waited till you were too bored to care?"

At this Severus's laughter went silent as he started to convulse with mirth.

'**Is something wrong with Snape?' **asked Esmeralda timidly, staring in terror at her potions professor.

'_No, he's just more relaxed around here,_' said Tom, before moving back to the issue at hand

"No!" said Tom, "You shouldn't have burnt it at all,"

"You threw a huge pile in last week," said Lucius.

"I'm the Dark Lord, I'm allowed to," said Tom snippily.

"So why can't I?" asked Bella.

"Because I say you can't," said Tom.

"You sound like a pair of children arguing," sniggered Severus.

"And how would you know?" asked Lucius.

"I deal with it every day," said Severus.

'**That's true**' sniggered Esmeralda, '**and when he compares you to the students he teaches, you know you've been insulted to the highest degree**'

'_Shut up Mera_' thought Tom irritably.

"Why don't the lot of you shut up and get to work," suggested tom coldly, "Severus, I'm sure you know where the lab is, Lucius stop whining, and Bella, no more burning reports. Some of them are actually useful,"

'**What about me?**' asked Esmeralda, '

_Do whatever you want, so long as you don't leave the room, and it doesn't disturb anyone_**,**' said Tom. He had learned to close all loopholes, in case she found a way to cause mayhem.

'**Fine**' grumbled Esmeralda, settling down for a nap.

Hello again lovely readers! Sorry for the short chapter. It has been a while since I last updated, I know, and loads of people have been asking for more updates. I really am sorry.

By the way, happy belated Christmas. I had intended to post this on Christmas day, but I had a party, then I fell asleep before I could. And then my mum reminded me of all the studying I have to do. I am currently looking my year 11 and 12 in the face, and I want to be prepared.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please don't hesitate if you have any questions, suggestions or other thoughts! I love hearing what you guys think.


	9. what do potions master's do?

**Hello again my lovely readers. And happy very belated new years.**

**And for those in australia, happy australia day!**

**Well, here's the new chapter, and I am very sorry for keeping you all waiting. I did get back to some of you about your reviews, if you asked questions. I simply don't have the time to get back to every one, and I am truly sorry.**

**Thankyou though, to every one who reviewed. I looked at my page and I realised. Holy shit! I have 75 reviews! And this is just the start of the story! I am overwhelmed that you take the time to review. Thank you so much!**

**BTW, there is a VERY IMPORTANT notice at the bottom. PLEASE READ!**

**Thanks!**

Esmeralda woke a while later to silence. She sat up and looked around curiously. She had learnt in the month that she had been here, that silence didn't always mean peace.

Fortunately, this time, it did. Lucius had given up on the paper work a while ago, and was snoring on the sofa softly. Bella had wandered off, probably to find her husband, and Snape was still immersed in his potions in the other room. Tom, on the other hand, was engrossed in his work, writing furiously on a growing roll of parchment.

Esmeralda yawned and looked around for something to do. Tom wasn't any fun when he was in this mood. There was nothing but piles of papers in the room, so she hopped off the desk. The door to the potions lab was slightly ajar. She pushed it open gently, and slipped into the room.

There was a haze of rainbow smoke that covered the roof, and the lab felt stifling. But, none-the-less, it was familiar, and somewhat soothing.

Well, Esmeralda reflected, as soothing as Snape could be.

But still, she had seen Snape brew so many times in the past, during her numerous detentions with the sour man.

Well, maybe not so sour, reflected Esmeralda, thinking over his behaviour from before. If this was how he acted around Voldemort – no, Tom (He wasn't Voldemort really) – then it was no surprise that the light was losing. Their spy wasn't on their side.

Ah well, sniggered Esmeralda, she wasn't exactly on their side either.

She trotted along the floor, before jumping onto the large walnut desk that lay in a corner. It gave her a good view of the room, and she settled comfortably on a pile of reports, watching as Snape brewed.

He was brewing a variety of potions, several cauldrons going at once, each on a different bench, so that the different fumes and vapours didn't interfere with the delicate balance in each potion. She watched as he diced and sliced smoothly, and found herself, like so many other students, completely enraptured by the way the colours and smoke patterns changed as he added different ingredients.

Watching as he left the room for more ingredients, she took the opportunity to wander over to look at the potions.

She jumped up onto an empty bench, then up onto a shelf. She walked along it, pausing over each potion so she could see if she knew what it was.

One was obviously polyjuice potion. Having brewed it herself with Hermione and Ron, she knew what it looked like. Another was a completed Draught of Living Death. And another was a blood replenisher. And yet another was a rather nasty poison that resulted in the victim dying as their organs slowly solidified until they were completely petrified. It was a slow, painful, and completely incurable death, unless one was given a bezoar.

However, the final three potions were unidentifiable to Esmeralda. She hadn't expected to identify all of them anyway. This was a war, and Snape was a very experienced potions master.

Pausing over the first of the three, a violent blue potion, with magenta fumes, Esmeralda took a moment to breath in a very satisfying scent of sandalwood and mint. Perhaps this one was an antidote to some poison or other. Poisons tended to be either acrid, nasty smelling things, or so utterly enticing they closed off the victim's mind. Esmeralda wasn't feeling fuzzy, so she assumed it was an antidote, or a healing potion.

The next potion was a lurid red, and seemed to be rather gluggy. Considering the amount of ingredients half sliced on the bench, Esmeralda decided it probably wasn't finished as yet. Snape was such a neat freak that he often removed points for messy benches. Esmeralda, a rather absent minded person when it came to cleaning, despite her relatives efforts, usually had one of the messiest benches. She generally had everything perfectly clean after she was done, but it was during the actual brewing that she generally lost points.

"What are you doing?" asked a cold voice behind her, and she spun to see Snape glaring at her from the storeroom door.

"Mreowr," said Esmeralda succinctly.

"Get away from that," he said, walking closer, "It's unstable, and you'll end up blowing yourself up,"

Esmeralda gave the equivalent of a cat shrug and trotted along the bench until she reached the blue cauldron, which she sat next with a yawn. It smelt nice, and it looked interesting too.

"Could you please not sit near the potions!" said Snape and Esmeralda blinked at him. Was he pleading?

"Mreow?" said Esmeralda, tilting her head.

"Please!" begged Snape and Esmeralda almost toppled over. He was!

She got up and started to walk away, when a yell distracted her.

"MERA! Where are you!" yelled tom, and there was a shrieking sound. Unfortunately it also managed to startle Esmeralda, and she jumped violently, and she slipped off the shelf, knocking the blood replenisher into the antidote. Normally two healing potions mixing would have rendered each other useless, and that would have been the case, had the poison not been there. the three mixed, and Esmeralda managed a startled meow, before it blew up.

Esmeralda found herself airborne for a moment, and she briefly wondered where her broom was, before she hit the bench with a thud.

There was another muffled boom, that seemed to filter in as if Esmeralda was hearing it through a wall of water, before something splashed on her. Esmeralda felt a burning sensation before blackness swallowed her.

**Hahaha! I'm really cruel, leaving you on a cliffhanger like this, but I can't help myself. **

**Now, about the next chapter!**

**PLEASE PAY ATTENTION HERE!**

**I will not be updating for some time. It is now officially my year 11, and I will not have that much time for writing up my fanfics. I will not be leaving them either! I do not intend to abandon them, just put them on a sort of temporary hiatus, until my year 11 and 12 are over.**

**I beg you please understand, and please don't be too surprised if a couple of months pass before I update.**

**Thanks,**

**Arana'a**


	10. Important AN

Hello my lovelies!

This is an incredible importan notice.

I know I should have posted this earlier in the year, but I have had literally no time. It is no my year eleven (I'm Australian, so this is important) and I now have to dedicate the majority of my time to my studies for my WACE next year. Because of this my stories are now being put on the backburner. I will be continuing my stories, so don't panic, but they will be on a sort of hiatus for two years.

I will attempt to update when I can, but don't expect much for the next two years. Please don't be mad, and I hope you stick with me.

Thanks Arana'a


	11. of explosions and sortings

**So here's tom's side of the ordeal. I hope you enjoy his increasing sappiness. Mera is quite an influence on him.**

**Sorry about the wait, but studies and other school stuff have been keeping me occupied.**

**So yeah, I won't keep you waiting…**

Tom was busy. It was a habit of his that he had developed sometime around his third year and he had never been able to shake. It was the habit of being so absorbed in what he was doing; he tended to ignore what was happening around him.

Luckily those who tended to also work around him picked up on his strange habit and made allowances for it.

Or, in his new cat's case, she took the opportunity to get into trouble, and cause chaos.

He first noticed her when the silence registered. Normally, when she slept, she purred, which often lead him to wonder what on earth she was dreaming about. Silence often meant she was awake...

Now, when he and his lieutenants were buried in work, silence was not just annoying, but potentially catastrophic.

Looking up, he glanced around the room. Lucius was snoring on a couch, and Bella had wandered off. There was a faint hint of potions fumes around the rooms, which lead him to assume Severus was still brewing. The only one missing was of course, Mera.

Silently, he sent out a mental probe, searching for his wayward familiar. However, it seemed she had discovered the art of occlumency, or at least blocking him.

Angrily he yelled for her.

"MERA! Where are you?" he yelled, startling Lucius into waking. The blonde had enough time to utter a startled yelp and fall off the sofa, before the wall blew in.

Without thinking, tom cast a shield around himself, and another one for Lucius. There were several following explosions before there was silence. Gingerly, tom lowered the shields, ready to have them up again if anything else went BOOM!

"Severus?" he called, hoping the man was unharmed.

"I'm here my lord," answered the man, although it sounded muffled.

"What happened?" called Lucius, having obviously managed to move past his shock.

"That bloody cat," snarled Severus.

"What happened?" called tom, starting to get worried. If she had been in the lab when it had exploded, it was very unlikely that she was unharmed.

"I went out to get some potions ingredients, and when I came back in, she was standing on a shelf over the potions," said Severus irritably, "I was trying to get her to move when you yelled. She jumped, and slipped, and knocked the blood replenisher into the basilisk antidote into the petrifying poison, and it all reacted and exploded, and landed in everything else. Hopefully it's all less likely to explode now,"

"And what happened to Mera?" asked Tom, worry seeping into his voice, he blamed it entirely on the bond between them and his fondness for cats.

"I saw her get knocked into a wall," said Severus, and Tom's blood ran cold, "But it was away from the majority of the blast. She's probably still alive,"

Tom started to breathe easier, and he eased his way into the room, skilfully slipping around the rubble. Lucius followed him.

They found Severus leaning on a pile of rubble that looked like it once used to be his equipment cupboard.

"Where did she land?" asked Tom, as he cast a diagnostic on the man.

"That way," said Severus pointing to a wall that looked vaguely less damaged than the rest of the room.

Tom left Severus with Lucius, and he started towards the wall, keeping an eye for his cat. Warily, he cast several lumo's around the room, so he could see better. He cast an accio, to see if it would help, but he turned up nothing. He tried several locator charms, including two illegal ones, but nothing turned up. He sighed and finally turned to the last option, and hoped no-one would see.

"Point me Mera," he whispered, holding his wand on his palm. It swivelled and pointed to a pile of rubble. He walked towards it, and saw there was a thin gap between it and the wall and he squeezed along it.

Finally, he saw her, lying in a huddle against the wall, on the remnants of a bench. He stepped closer, and gently cast a diagnostic.

**(Hahaha! I'm so mean. I was thinking of leaving it here, but, I couldn't do that to you, cause it's probably gonna be ages till I next update, so I will continue)**

What he saw was worrying. In fact it was more than worrying. It was heart-stoppingly terrifying. He was sure he never been more panicked in his entire life.

"Lucius! Severus! Get Narcissa Now!" he yelled, as he gently scooped up the prone form of his familiar. Vaguely, a part of him wondered if she'd always been this small. Or maybe it was the fact that she was limp in his hands that made her seem all the smaller and frailer. She certainly looked frail; an adolescent cat. He often forgot how young she was. She always acted older than her years, when she wasn't getting herself into mischief.

He somehow managed to make his way back to his office where he found a newly healed, and still slightly sore Severus, a pale looking Lucius, and two worried Black sisters, who had come running as soon as they heard the explosion.

"What happened?" asked Narcissa and Bella at once.

"Potion's accident," said Severus.

"Everyone's fine, except for Mera," said Tom, starting to look haggard with worry. Wisely, none of his lieutenants mentioned it.

"What happened?" asked Narcissa, who had been starting to adore Mera. Especially because of how easily she seemed to make the Dark Lord panic. The man needed some reminding of human emotions.

"She was thrown into a wall," said Lucius.

"Severus!" gasped Narcissa, "How could you?"

"How could I what?" demanded the man, unsure of what the woman was talking about.

"Throw that poor innocent creature into a wall," said Narcissa.

"I didn't!" protested Severus, "She was thrown into the wall by the explosion,"

"Oh," said Narcissa, "Well, then, why don't you give the poor dear here, and I'll see what I can do,"

"No it's alright Narcissa," said Tom, "I want you to make sure Lucius and Severus are okay, and I want you to get started on the repairs. I'll take care of Mera,"

"Sure," she said, exchanging a look with the other three. Tom missed it completely as he turned around to apparate to his rooms.

Yep, Mera was having a very profound impact on her new master.

Esmeralda wasn't sure if she was conscious. Things were dark, and blurry, and she could hear faint murmurings, as if there was a wall of water between her and whatever it was that was making the sound.

"Hello?" she called, but nothing changed; the sounds didn't become clearer, nor did her vision get any better.

She started to panic, and attempted to move, but found herself immobile. Panicking even more, she started to scream, hoping someone would hear.

Finally, something filtered through, and she froze, hoping that someone had found her.

"Me…ra…Mer…Mera…Mera?" came the voice, and Mera relaxed slightly.

It was tom. Vaguely a part of her wondered why she would relax if she heard him, but it was rather normal. He thought she was a cat, and he had to be better than being stuck in the dark

"Tom?" she called, hoping he would respond.

"Mera? You can hear me?" he called, and it sounded as if he was getting closer.

"Of course I can hear you! What's going on? What happened? Where am I?" she called

"If you would shut up, I'll explain," said Tom, "You were in an explosion,"

"I remember that," said Esmeralda, "And it's your fault entirely for yelling,"

"You were supposed to stay in the study, not go gallivanting off to the lab," said Tom angrily, "Any way, you were thrown into a wall, and then hit with the combined remnants of several of Serverus' potions,"

"Oh," said Esmeralda, "But you can fix me, right?"

"Of course I can," said Tom, "However, you were also hit with a bit of the rubble which mean you have several broken bones as well, which will make 'fixing' you, as you put it, harder,"

"Am I blind?" she asked suddenly.

"What?" asked Tom, sounding confused.

"Am I blind?" asked Esmeralda again, "I can't see you, or anything else,"

"that's because you're still not fully conscious," said Tom, "Your eyes should be completely fine,"

"Okay," said Esmeralda, "Fix me,"

"You know, we need to have a talk about this ordering thing you have," said Tom sounding irritated.

"Look who's talking," snorted Esmeralda, "The Dark Lor – Ow! I felt that!"

"Good," said Tom, "It means that you're not paralysed there,"

"Paralysed?" squeaked Esmeralda.

"One of the things you were hit with was a petrifying potion," said Tom, "That was a possibility,"

"So I'm not paralysed then?" asked Esmeralda.

"Not there at any rate," said Tom, "I will have to check your entire body to be sure,"

"Right," said Esmeralda, "And the other reason is to pay me back slightly for not staying in the study isn't it,"

"OF course it is," said Tom, "You're getting to know me well,"

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing," said Esmeralda, trying not to shout as she felt tom pinching-poking her, "By the way, if I'm not fully conscious, how come we're having a decent conversation?"

"Because we communicate mentally," sighed Tom, "That means that, theoretically, we could communicate in our dreams,"

"No thank you," said Esmeralda, "I don't want to see your dreams. Probably all about world domination,"

"Actually no," said Tom, giving her tail a pinch-poke.

"Hey, that hurts!" yelped Esmeralda.

"If you can feel it, then it means you're not paralysed," said Tom.

"Cruel, heartless man," grumbled Esmeralda.

"I am the one healing you," said tom, "So be nice,"

"You're not," said Esmeralda.

"I'm the Dark Lord," said Tom, "Nice isn't in the job description.

"Oh, there's a job description is there?"

"Not really," said Tom, "But a nice dark lord isn't going to get anywhere,"

"I know that," said Esmeralda, "But you might attract more followers. I mean, just look at Dumbledore,"

"Don't use that man as an example," growled Tom, "He makes every Dark Lord in history look nice. It takes a Slytherin to see it,"

"Oh," said Esmeralda, "Well excuse me for not being a Slytherin,"

"What are you then?" asked Tom.

"And what makes you think I was anything?" asked Esmeralda.

"You were at Hogwarts. I don't think you would have been very far from the castle when you were turned, or you would have never made it in," said Tom, and she felt his hands slowly start to massage away the pain of is previous pinch-pokes, "And you are a very young cat,"

"Hey!" said Esmeralda, completely unaware that she had started to purr under Tom's ministrations, "I'm not a baby,"

"I never said that," said Tom exasperatedly, "You're and adolescent cat. You can't have been out of Hogwarts as a Human,"

"You're right," said Esmeralda, "I was a student, and I was changed inside Hogwarts,"

"And they never noticed that you went missing?" asked Tom.

"I was an orphan," said Esmeralda, "Like you. They worried initially, but they forgot, eventually. I was a shy kind of person. I never had many friends. Not many people noticed when I disappeared,"

"Then they must have been fools," said Tom, "So, what house were you in then?"

"Guess," said Esmeralda, trying to see if she could wriggle her tail.

"Stop moving your tail," said Tom, "I'm trying to put some salve on it,"

"Ok," grumbled Esmeralda.

"So," said Tom, after a bit, "I suppose you weren't a Hufflepuff. If you were, more people would have noticed when you disappeared,"

"I suppose," said Esmeralda.

"And I would suppose not a Ravenclaw, because I'm quite sure that you would think things through before you did them," said Tom.

"Hey!" complained Esmeralda, although he was completely correct.

"So I suppose that leaves Gryffindor," said Tom, "but for some reason I find that hard to believe,"

"And why is that?" asked Esmeralda.

"Because you don't act like a Gryffindor," said Tom, "You're not very brash, or rash. You don't rush headlong into life-threatening situations,"

"I'm a cat," grumbled Esmeralda, "Being around people ten times as big as you puts a damper on any inclinations like that,"

"I would believe you if your actions said the same thing," said Tom, "Take for example, your actions at today's meeting,"

"Whatever," grumbled Esmeralda, "And I was a Gryffindor, but the hat said I could have gone to any of the houses,"

"A jack-of-all-trades then," chuckled Tom. He stopped massaging her, and instead cast several spells over her, "There, you should start to come round now,"

"What about you?" asked Esmeralda, pleased that her eyesight was starting to improve.

"What about me?" asked Tom.

"Did you have any other options besides Slytherin?"

"Yes," said Tom, wriggling his fingers in front of her face to give her something to focus on, "Ravenclaw,"

"Not much of a surprise there," said Esmeralda, "you are a bit of a know it all,"

"I am not," exclaimed tom, "I'm just above average intelligence,"

"And above average ego too," giggled Esmeralda, starting to wriggle herself to wake up.

**Hello every one.**

**So yeah, I'm sorry for the super late update. I think it's been two months, but as I have said, it is the start of my year 11 and 12, so I have studies.**

**And aren't they a nightmare. Chemistry is a killer, and Physics is draining. But I'm getting along. I managed to find the spare time to get this chapter done, and I have started on the next, but don't expect it anytime soon. I have my topic tests coming up.**

**So, I hope you liked it. Please tell me what you thought!**


	12. a killer and the other students

**Hello my lovely readers. I want to start by saying thankyou for all the support you have given me. You guys are really amazing.**

**So here's the next chappy, and we get to see how things are progressing.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

After that, tom decided to keep a magical leash on Esmeralda that would prevent her from going into certain rooms when a certain ward was activated. She found it incredibly annoying, and took every opportunity to complain. Despite that however, she found herself avoiding trouble, if only to allow herself to heal properly.

She still felt stiff, and found herself tiring easily. Moreover, her fur was still regrowing, so she tended to stay in positions where no-one could see the bald patches on her side. Tom found it incredibly amusing, and poked fun at her whenever he caught her curling up against a wall, or twisting in some ones lap. Despite that however, she still made sure to participate in his meetings.

Tom had an almost split personality, one for his meetings, and the other for the rest of the time. Esmeralda had aptly named then Tom and Grumpymort. Unfortunately, her owner didn't find it as funny.

However, no matter which persona he was wearing, he was always certain to ensure her safety. She found herself bound to his lap during the majority of the meetings, unless of course she decided to go and play with Lucius or Bella. And they seemed to be even more careful than tom, if it were possible.

Which was why she found herself glaring sulkily at the floor as Bella petted her. It had taken a lot of persuasion, and bribery, and a lot of hand washing to get Esmeralda to allow Bella to pet her. Once she had, she found the woman was rather caring, and seemed to enjoy running her hands through Esmeralda's fur. And Esmeralda didn't dislike it. And besides, the mad harpy seemed to find some peace in it, so it was a win-win situation.

However, what was happening in front of her wasn't enjoyable, nor was it peaceful. The death eaters of the lower ranks had found an auror sniffing around the riddle manor after his shift, and had dragged him before their Lord. After several moments assessing the glaring man, Tom had turned him over to his minions to _play_ with. Esmeralda shuddered with disgust. She had promptly found herself in Bella's lap, and she was pointedly ignoring tom, keeping her new occlumency shields carefully in place.

"Oh, pretty kitty," cooed Bella as she stroked Esmeralda gently, "Why are you so mad at My Lord? You shouldn't ignore your master,"

Esmeralda was getting seriously annoyed at the woman, no matter how good she was at petting her. Finally, she lost her temper, and she leapt form Bella's lap before the woman could stop her.

Yowling slightly to make herself heard, she slipped through the sea of legs. It soon parted for her, and she found herself gazing imperiously down at the shaking man.

He slowly looked up, and a look of shock crossed his face as he discovered the black cat watching him. Walking forwards slowly, she sniffed him.

'**Tom?**' asked Esmeralda, lowering her shields.

'_What?_' asked the man, curious about what she was doing.

'**Introduce me please**', she said, '**and make me seem important. I want to see what he'll do,**'

"How very lucky of you, Mr Aimsley," purred Tom silkily in that dangerous voice of his, "Allow me to introduce my familiar, Mera. She doesn't normally go near our prisoners. Perhaps there is something in you she sees,"

Esmeralda watched as Amisley's face twisted with confusion, then shock, before twisting into a dark expression.

"Filthy beast," he snarled, finding the energy to take a swing at Mera. She was agile, and dodged out of the way. Unfortunately, her reflex action left her open for tom, and he took control of her small body with ease. She could feel his towering anger, and she shrank into her mind.

With a quick spell to lengthen and sharpen her claws, he slashed across the man's throat, and held her there as the man drowned in his blood, his last sight her dispassionate green eyes. Ever so slowly, he eased out of her mind, and Esmeralda turned and trotted up to him, jumping and curling up in her master's lap.

Once there, she relaxed tense muscles, and she started to shake. Tom instantly began to stroke her, and she found solace in his hands.

"It seems that even my cat has more reflex than you lot do," growled tom, "Get out, before you join the auror,"

The other death eaters fled, leaving tom alone in the room with his three lieutenants and Mera.

"Dispose of the body," said Tom, "I shall be in my quarters. Disturb me only if it is important,"

He swept away, Mera held securely in his arms.

Once they were in his room, he let the glamour drop, and he gently started to stroke Mera again, whispering soothing words. She had gone into shock. Slowly, she began to come to her senses, and he got the feeling that if she were human, she would be crying.

'**I killed him**' it was a quiet whisper, so empty, and lonely.

'_No you didn't sweet_,' he said instantly, wanting to reassure her, '_I did. It was me in control. You didn't do anything_'

'**But if I hadn't gone up to him-**' she started

'_It wasn't your fault!_ He said, '_he had no reason to hit you. You were simply being curious. He had no justification to hit you_'

Mera looked up at him sadly, and he gently, pulled her close, crooning soft words to her. He supposed it would be natural for her to have this sort of a reaction. She was just the sort of person Dumbledore would have recruited; gentle, mischievous, intelligent, and unable to kill a fly. Normally, he would never have cared what the other person felt, but I was different. She had a link to his mind, and held a part of him. She was almost like Nagini, just less disposed to worship him. Keeping her safe was his top priority.

'**Why did you have to kill him?**' she asked finally, her voice still tiny.

'_He tried to hurt you sweet,_' tom said firmly. He had to make her understand how important she was, '_I wasn't going to let that pass_'

'**But he didn't get me**' whispered I.

'_That's not the point_,' said tom, wanting her to understand '_you are mine I, and I will protect you, no matter what happens. You are my first priority over everything, and I will ensure you stay safe no matter what. Even if I have to go to the ends of the earth to ensure that. And if any one tries to hurt you, I will end them because you are more important than they are,'_

'**The world doesn't work that way Tomcat**' said Esmeralda sadly, '**if we could all do that, then we wouldn't be able to hurt anyone, cause they would be more important in some one else's eyes,**'

'_But you are important to me, and I am powerful enough to make that mean something,_' said Tom, '_that is why I will kill anyone who tries to hurt you,_'

'**Alright Tomcat**_,_' whispered Mera, '**I'm too tired to argue with you. Just don't make me a part of it next time,**'

'_Alright sweet,_' he said indulgently, '_but I have one question,_'

'**What?**'

'_Why Tomcat?_'

Albus Dumbledore decided that after all this was over he would quit his job. Perhaps it was time to finally accept the position of Minister for Magic. After all, he was getting along in years. And it would get him away from these hare brained morons they called children.

He was quite certain he had never been that thick.

Currently, one Neville Longbottom was sitting in front of him, and had him fixed with a disbelieving stare.

"Look sir, I'm not sure if this is right," said the boy.

"My dear boy," said Albus, "I have thought out every possibility, and there is no doubt,"

"But how can I be the chosen one?" asked Neville, "That's Ezzy,"

"I have explained this before, my boy," said Albus, hard pressed to keep his twinkle going.

"Perhaps you should explain it again," said Neville, "Cause I really don't understand,"

"There were two possibilities for the chosen child," said Dumbledore, "yourself and Esmeralda. I believe that you are both the chosen one, simply waiting for the time when you would have your confrontation with the Dark Lord,"

"But I've never confronted him!" protested Neville. Merlin, weren't Gryffindor's supposed to want life-threatening. He would have to have a word with the hat. The damn thing was obviously trying to undo his carefully laid plans.

"Ezzy has confronted him every time," continued Neville, "And I was only there by a fluke last year,"

"My boy, as I have said before," said Albus trying to be patient, "Her time is up as the chosen one, and now it is your turn. She was simply stalling the dark lord so that when you were ready, you would be able to defeat him,"

"But I'm not that powerful," said Neville, "Not as powerful as Ezzy,"

The boy should have been a Hufflepuff; thick, stubborn, no personality, and so loyal it made a dog look fickle.

"You're powers are dormant," said Dumbledore, forcing a smile, "That is why you need to start training to unlock them,"

"But you still haven't explained what's happened to Ezzy," growled Neville.

"As I have told you, her overuse of magic when dealing with Voldemort has caught up with her, and she is currently in special care,"

"But her core was perfectly stable before she left," said Neville, "I think it's more likely she left,"

"Why would she leave dear boy?" asked Albus.

"I don't know, but I'm sure she had a good reason," said Neville.

At least he wasn't pointing fingers. Especially in his direction.

"She hasn't run away, she is simply under intensive care for severe magic depletion," said Albus.

That had been a stroke of genius. If the girl ever resurfaced, a simple spell would deal with her magic, and whatever she said could be written off as denial, to the point of delusion. And if she never returned, then it could be said that her body had failed despite the healer's best efforts, and she had passed on. A small private ceremony with a golem, and things would be settled up. Absolutely nothing to worry about.

"Why can't we go and see her?" asked Neville.

"Because her core becomes seriously unstable around magiks she is familiar with," explained Albus, "We are unsure of why,"

"How do you know?" asked Neville.

"I went myself with young Ronald Weasley," said the aged man, "She had a serious attack. We cannot risk her being unstable too much,"

"Fine," said Neville, sounding resigned, "I've gotta go anyway. I've got charms,"

"OF course my boy," said Dumbledore, his smile genuine in the light that the boy was finally leaving, "Do give Filius my apologies for keeping you,"

"Sure," said Neville.

Albus sighed. It seemed the boy also needed a lesson in manners. It wouldn't do for the pawn to be disrespectful to the chess master, even if he didn't know it.

Neville left the office hurriedly, his features twisting into a grimace once he was out of the damn place. If the old bastard thought he was being clever, and subtle, he had another thing coming. His machinations were obvious to Neville, who'd grown up in the murky world of pureblood politics.

It was also obvious to the boy that the old man wasn't as caring as he seemed. Neville didn't have charms. In fact, he didn't have any class. It was a Saturday after all.

Draco lounged in one of the chairs provided by the room, ignoring the babblings of the other occupants with practised ease. He was however, not oblivious to the general gist of the conversations around him.

Finally the door opened, and admitted an angry looking Neville who was ranting under his breath. Having experience with this sort of thing, Draco did the only thing that he knew would help. He cast a strong shield around the other occupants of the room, who obviously didn't know what a seriously pissed Neville could do, and handed the irate brunette a cup of hot chocolate.

"What happened this time?" he asked, once Neville had stopped muttering.

"Same as usual," grumbled Neville, "I kept things going round in circles. I don't think he suspects a student would be capable of political thinking,"

"That's because he has a superiority complex," sniffed Draco.

"Oi! Malfoy!" yelled Ginny, "Take down the shield,"

Draco flicked his wrist, and the glowing blue bubble around the other students faded.

"What's with the shield?" asked Neville.

"After that party at the Nott's," said Draco, "I'm taking every precaution I can,"

"It was an accident," said Neville, "how was I supposed to know the chandelier would fall,"

"The fact that it was an accident doesn't comfort me," said Draco, "How do I know what will happen when you're in control of yourself,"

"Well I won't be dropping chandeliers," said Neville.

"I don't get it," said Colin, looking confused.

"Trust me Creevey," said Blaise, "You don't want to understand,"

"I'm not that bad," complained Neville.

"That's what we thought," said Blaise.

"Moving back to the topic at hand," complained Padma, "Did we find out anything new?"

"Well, apparently Ron's been to see her," said Neville.

"So we go and ask Weasley how she's doing," said Theodore.

"Once we separate him from lavender," sniffed Parvati.

"That shouldn't be too hard," said Dean,

"Yeah, just point out the latest fashion magazine and she'll be off him faster than you can say shoes," snickered Seamus

"Anything else?" asked Ginny.

"He said that they needed to begin my training to unlock my powers," said Neville.

"So you think he might try core enlargers?" asked Daphne.

"Probably," said Neville grimly.

"Well, what do we do now?" asked Padma,

"We need to find Ezzy," said Seamus.

"And how do you propose to do that?" asked Blaise.

"We could start by setting up places for her to go," said Ginny.

"What?" asked Padma and Parvati in unison.

"We could inform people of Esmeralda's disappearance," said Blaise, catching onto the younger girl's train of thought, "And make sure they would be able to keep her safe. Inform them of the dangers we think she might face,"

"I feel like I'm in one of those spy movies," chuckled Colin, ignoring the strange looks he was receiving from the purebloods in the room.

"Don't be ridiculous Creevey," sneered Draco, "Try to be realistic,"

"You know what he's talking about?" asked Ginny looking faint.

"Beg pardon?" asked Draco.

"How do you know about spy movies?" asked Seamus, who was more direct.

"None of your business," said Draco, suddenly realising what he had said.

"How do you know?" asked Theo.

"None of your business," said Draco, flushing slightly.

"Do you think he has a girlfriend?" whispered Daphne to Blaise.

"Won't pansy be disappointed," chuckled Blaise.

"I can hear you," snapped Draco.

"I know," said Blaise.

"I do not have a girlfriend," said Draco.

"A boyfriend then?" asked Ginny, unable to resist.

"NO!" yelled Draco.

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," sniggered Blaise.

"I'm male," said Draco.

"What?" shrieked Ginny, "What else haven't you been telling us?"

"Shut up," growled Draco

"Can we move back to the point please?" asked Daphne.

"Which one?" asked Dean.

"The one about Esmeralda," said Daphne

"I thought we had finished with that," said Ginny,

"Who are we going to talk to?" asked Seamus.

"Um, well, we can contact my brothers," said Ginny.

"What?" asked Parvati, "I thought they were on Dumbledore's side,"

"Only Percy and Ron," said Ginny, "The rest of them are sorta neutral, and they all adore Ezzy,"

"It's the eyes," said Neville, nodding sagely.

"Shut up, you git," said Dean.

"Who else?" asked Padma.

"Well, Gran would love to have her over," said Neville, "She's been complaining about Dumbledore for years,"

"Mum's always wanted a daughter," said Blaise, "And I think she and Esmeralda would get on great,"

"My parents wouldn't mind," said Dean, "I've been keeping them up-to-date on things, and they share my opinion of Dumbledore,"

"Right," said Ginny, "Who else?"

"Our parents live in India most of the time," said Parvati.

"But we can ask them to keep an eye out," said Padma.

"Me dad's got a farm in Ireland," said Seamus, "And despite his falling out with mam, he still keeps up with whatever's happening in our world. He'd probably love to have her over,"

"What about her relatives?" asked Theo, who was still new to PEPA (Protect Esmeralda Potter Association)

"Her relatives aren't that fond of magic," said Colin, trying to be tactful.

"Aren't that fond?" scoffed Neville, "They hate magic! And they hate her,"

"I've often heard her joke that they were going to be depressed that she survived the year," said Seamus

"She always spends ages in the hospital wing at the beginning of the year," added Dean

"And she eats like crazy whenever she comes from that place," said Ginny, "And she's awfully self-conscious,"

"A lot of girls are," said Daphne.

"Not like Ezzy," Ginny shook her head.

"So her relatives are out of the question," said Theo.

"Yeah," said Ginny.

"So who else can we ask?" asked Draco.

"We can ask around school," said Colin.

"Okay," said Ginny, "Are there any other ideas?"

There was a general head shake, so they decided to call it a night. Chattering quietly amongst one another, they left the room in small house groups, heading to their dorms.

They never knew that there was someone pouring over a large piece of parchment in an abandoned classroom, carefully taking note of everyone as they left.

**Hahahaha! I decided to leave it at that. You'll just have to wait and see if the mystery watcher is good or bad. **

**I thought it would be nice to insert something about what was happening with the rest of the world, seeing as Esmeralda is going to be missing for a long time.**

**So, that's this chapter for now, and I'll see if I can get the next chapter done in a shorter time frame.**

**Next up: Esmeralda's first spying mission, and an unlikely ally. But for who, you'll just have to wait and see.**

**Arana'a**


End file.
